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SALT LAKE CITY — As the talk and rumors swirled about his future with the Utah Jazz and his relationship with Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert remained firm: He wanted to stay in Utah.
"I love living here, that's the No. 1 thing," Gobert said in July. "No. 2 thing, I want to win. ... The things we've been building over the years, it's something that you don't see anywhere else. That's something I take a lot of pride in."
Turns out, the Jazz are pretty proud of it, too.
The Jazz have signed Gobert to a five-year, $205 million extension, KSL.com has confirmed. The extension will kick in following the 2020-21 season. The fifth-deal is a player option, according to ESPN.
The $205 million deal is a compromise between the maximum salary Gobert could get in free agency next season and a "supermax" contract that he was eligible for due to being named Defensive Player of the Year twice and making an All-NBA team. The supermax deal would have seen Gobert get 35% of the cap — like the five-year, $228 million deal Giannis Antetokounmpo signed with the Milwaukee Bucks this season. In all, Gobert's deal represents over 31% of the cap.
"Rudy's competitiveness and will to win have been instrumental in watching how he has grown and evolved into an elite player in our league," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said in a statement. "He is dedicated to his teammates and to winning here in Utah. It has been so rewarding to watch how Rudy has evolved off the court as well and I look forward to seeing how he continues to make an impact through his dedication to kids and to our community."
Gobert is the Jazz's home-grown star. Utah traded back into the first round in 2013 to take the long-limbed center from France at No. 27, and he developed into the premier rim protector in the game. Since Gobert entered the starting lineup midway through the 2014-15 season, the Jazz have regularly been among the league's best defenses.
It was that defensive prowess that earned Gobert a sizeable extension (four-year, $102 million) ahead of the 2016-17 season. Since that deal, Gobert has garnered numerous accomplishments. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018 and 2019, has been named to an all-NBA team three times and made his first All-Star team last season. It's also been a given for him to be named to the NBA's All-Defensive team — being named to the team the last four years.
"Rudy is such a special player. He makes everyone on the court better. We couldn't be more excited about his commitment to this team, to Utah, and most importantly, to keeping this unique culture together," said Jazz owner Ryan Smith in a statement.
In the last four years, Gobert has averaged 14.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 66% from the field. That production has led to a lot of wins. Utah has been to the postseason four straight years — making the second round twice — as they've built a scheme around Gobert's biggest strengths: rim protection and screens.
"Rudy's commitment, competitiveness and dedication to winning is why he is one of the elite players in the NBA," executive vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said in a statement. "The impact he's had on our team, the state of Utah and so many other communities around the world is immeasurable. We're ecstatic that Rudy will continue to be an integral part of our franchise as we work towards our goals."
Dear Utah... pic.twitter.com/S806F4oZ6d
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) December 20, 2020
In a letter posted on social media, Gobert reminisced a bit about his seven years in Utah. He came to the state as a 21-year-old player from a blue-collar town in France. He hadn't grown up with much, but his mother had installed within him some core values: always be true to yourself, respect and be good to others and hard work can accomplish anything. Those values made him an All-Star, but they also helped him realize something else.
"I have always been treated with these same values since I got here, and those were the reasons why I made Utah my home," Gobert wrote in the letter.
And home is where he wants to win.
"I'm here to stay, and I'm here to win a championship," Gobert wrote. "I'm here to win with my brothers, I'm here to win with coach Q and I'm here to with with you, Utah. Let's get it."
The deal should close the rumor mill that has surrounded Gobert and fellow All-Star Donovan Mitchell. When Gobert became the first athlete in an American league to test positive for the novel coronavirus, it caused some friction with Mitchell after the All-Star guard also tested positive and led to reports that the relationship would soon be at an end.
While admitting things weren't perfect, the players both denied that the impasse would lead to one or the other leaving the Jazz. In the past month, both Gobert and Mitchell have signed long-term extensions with Utah.
"Yes, it's not perfect. Yes, a lot of things happened, but I still don't take anything for granted," Gobert said in the summer. "I think it's a great situation for me individually and for my family. It's something that I think in the future can still be great for myself so, no, I don't plan on leaving right now. I plan on winning a championship with Utah."
